When you just want it to work quick and easy, and since the zip distribution lends itself particularly well to that with only extracting the archive in the way to being productive with your Directory Server, you only skim through the install guide. Well, at least if you're as impatient as I am. Make sure to read this.

Bird's Eye View

After the quick and painless install, you add the single bin folder to your PATH environment and get crackin'. Directory Server instances can be created. As can Directory Proxy Server instances. But the usual command line in the DSRK, the indispensable ldapsearch, doesn't. What? You missed one tiny component that still needs to be "installed" on your machine.

The Meat

If when you try ldapsearch from DSEE 7.0 on your vanilla windows install you get the message below:

I'll make a quick text note here so it's searchable...

The application was unable to start correctly (0xc0150002)

Then it only means that you forgot to install the Visual C++ Redistributable Package, as stated in a tiny Note- block in the install guide which had completely escaped me during my quick skimming. Note that the doc points you to downloading the bits from microsoft but since we're nice guys, the installer is included in the DSEE ZIP archive, at the root of the zip file and is called vcredist_x86.exe. Be sure to install that if you need the ldap\* utilities.